Pete Cahall is out as Principal of Wilson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the fellow Wilson parent and poster who keeps honing in on Cahall's plateau with academics: with a school of such size and breadth of students from all Wards, culture and community is possibly the biggest part of the battle. DCPS is quite short sighted to dismiss someone with these creds. Instead why shouldn't the so-called "INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT" work with Cahall and his APs to target the stats they are worried about. All this talk about Melissa Kim, who cares. She left DCPS and Deal is NOT Wilson.

I agree. Building culture and community at a big, diverse school is hard. I guess the best we can hope for is that DCPS finds a principal who respects the importance of what Cahall created and builds on it while also improving academics (to the extent that's possible).

"...while also improving academics (to the extend that is possible)".

That seems like pretty low -- certainly mediocre -- expectations for DCPS' flagship high school. guess it depends on your priorities. If I had to choose, I would put more emphasis on making solid, rigorous academic improvement over spending time stroking a “diverse culture” at the school. After all, top notch academics should be Job 1 at any school, especially at the high school level.

We'll have to agree to disagree. You can't make a school great academically if kids don't like being there. I also think academic success is defined very narrowly by DCPS and many on this board; if you're looking at test scores as the primary indicator, I don't think Wilson will ever be "great." What about graduation rate, college/trade school, especially among at-risk kids? That's far more indiciative of progress/success, in my eyes. (I have no idea how Cahall did or not affect those indicators, by the way.)

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ouch! When the teachers describe the working atmosphere as “toxic” at what is supposed to be DC’s best high school, then there is a huge problem which should be front and center on the chancellor’s desk. I don’t know whether removing Mr. Cahall is the complete solution (I suspect not), but this problem needs immediate attention, focus and solution.

To be fair, I'm not sure that we have heard from the teachers, but rather the head of the Washington Teachers Union. There would probably be complaints if she didn't think the atmosphere was toxic. So far, Cahall has been criticized for failing to lift academics. Now, it is the toxic atmosphere within the school. Pressure to address the first could certainly result in the second. That highlights the difficult position of Wilson's principal.

Maybe it's both failure to lift academics and a toxic atmosphere -- at least among teachers -- which I have heard about in private conversations but not on any public forum.

Many DCPS teachers across the city are afraid for their jobs and thus unlikely to speak up - especially after seeing what can happen to teachers who do.

I agree that there could be both a failure to lift academic and a toxic atmosphere. But, it is possible that pressure to improve academics contributes to -- and is possibly the cause of -- a toxic atmosphere. In theory, efforts by Cahall to raise academics further might have increased the toxicity beyond what allegedly exists. In a system that appears to believe that student achievement is almost entirely dependent on teaching staff, increasing academic achievement necessarily involves pressuring that teaching staff. So, Cahall would have been caught between a rock and a hard place. If Henderson now has to choose between a principal that will put academic achievement before all else and a principal who will concentrate on an improved atmosphere for teachers, I'm afraid the WTU is going to be disappointed. Of course, someone might be able to do both things, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the fellow Wilson parent and poster who keeps honing in on Cahall's plateau with academics: with a school of such size and breadth of students from all Wards, culture and community is possibly the biggest part of the battle. DCPS is quite short sighted to dismiss someone with these creds. Instead why shouldn't the so-called "INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT" work with Cahall and his APs to target the stats they are worried about. All this talk about Melissa Kim, who cares. She left DCPS and Deal is NOT Wilson.

I agree. Building culture and community at a big, diverse school is hard. I guess the best we can hope for is that DCPS finds a principal who respects the importance of what Cahall created and builds on it while also improving academics (to the extent that's possible).

"...while also improving academics (to the extend that is possible)".

That seems like pretty low -- certainly mediocre -- expectations for DCPS' flagship high school. guess it depends on your priorities. If I had to choose, I would put more emphasis on making solid, rigorous academic improvement over spending time stroking a “diverse culture” at the school. After all, top notch academics should be Job 1 at any school, especially at the high school level.

We'll have to agree to disagree. You can't make a school great academically if kids don't like being there. I also think academic success is defined very narrowly by DCPS and many on this board; if you're looking at test scores as the primary indicator, I don't think Wilson will ever be "great." What about graduation rate, college/trade school, especially among at-risk kids? That's far more indiciative of progress/success, in my eyes. (I have no idea how Cahall did or not affect those indicators, by the way.)

Yes, these are more important -- and easier to fudge. Graduation standards can be lowered, resulting in a higher graduation rate. Getting into college - especially a place like UDC that has open admissions - is very easy - just fill out and send in your application form. Staying in is not easy, and very few graduate. I recall a few years back, a guidance counselor boasting that all her applicants in an EOTP school had been accepted into college. She failed to say what college, but I can guess.

If a focus is put on graduation and post secondary education, let's be sure that administration at all levels is not gaming the system - to make themselves look good.

[Anonymous]

And now Jay Matthews has weighed in. Basically he rehashed Cahall's letter. A couple of weeks ago, he all but outright accused charters of rigging the admissions lotteries based on some disgruntled Wilson teacher's theory. I'm sensing a trend here. If you're a disgruntled Wilson staff member, Jay Maththews will give you a platform.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/firing-this-dc-principal-makes-no-sense/2014/12/21/edca24a2-8709-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.html?hpid=z4

[Anonymous]

Great to see where he falls on this stinky decision by DCPS. For once I agree 100% with Jay Matthews. Has anyone suggested that the current Mayor can un-do this, Kaya still reports to Gray. It would be a graceful and benevolent move as he finishes his term as Mayor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the fellow Wilson parent and poster who keeps honing in on Cahall's plateau with academics: with a school of such size and breadth of students from all Wards, culture and community is possibly the biggest part of the battle. DCPS is quite short sighted to dismiss someone with these creds. Instead why shouldn't the so-called "INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT" work with Cahall and his APs to target the stats they are worried about. All this talk about Melissa Kim, who cares. She left DCPS and Deal is NOT Wilson.

I agree. Building culture and community at a big, diverse school is hard. I guess the best we can hope for is that DCPS finds a principal who respects the importance of what Cahall created and builds on it while also improving academics (to the extent that's possible).

"...while also improving academics (to the extend that is possible)".

That seems like pretty low -- certainly mediocre -- expectations for DCPS' flagship high school. guess it depends on your priorities. If I had to choose, I would put more emphasis on making solid, rigorous academic improvement over spending time stroking a “diverse culture” at the school. After all, top notch academics should be Job 1 at any school, especially at the high school level.

We'll have to agree to disagree. You can't make a school great academically if kids don't like being there. I also think academic success is defined very narrowly by DCPS and many on this board; if you're looking at test scores as the primary indicator, I don't think Wilson will ever be "great." What about graduation rate, college/trade school, especially among at-risk kids? That's far more indiciative of progress/success, in my eyes. (I have no idea how Cahall did or not affect those indicators, by the way.)

Yes, these are more important -- and easier to fudge. Graduation standards can be lowered, resulting in a higher graduation rate. Getting into college - especially a place like UDC that has open admissions - is very easy - just fill out and send in your application form. Staying in is not easy, and very few graduate. I recall a few years back, a guidance counselor boasting that all her applicants in an EOTP school had been accepted into college. She failed to say what college, but I can guess.

If a focus is put on graduation and post secondary education, let's be sure that administration at all levels is not gaming the system - to make themselves look good.

So are you saying that EOTP students couldn't possibly have gotten into colleges you've deemed worthy? Or that admission only to those colleges is worth being proud of?

[Anonymous]

I'm sure Henderson and DCPS had reasons for firing Cahall, and those reasons may not have had any relation whatsoever to LGBT or support for Catania, but whatever those reasons were, it's hard to fathom how they could outweigh all the great things Cahall was doing at Wilson. Plus, politically, it's just another example of DCPS management looking like a bunch of hacks, morons, or both. I would be interested to see if there's any rebuttal to the information about Cahall's success that Jay Matthews sets out in his article. As a resident and a parent, the whole incident just smh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the fellow Wilson parent and poster who keeps honing in on Cahall's plateau with academics: with a school of such size and breadth of students from all Wards, culture and community is possibly the biggest part of the battle. DCPS is quite short sighted to dismiss someone with these creds. Instead why shouldn't the so-called "INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT" work with Cahall and his APs to target the stats they are worried about. All this talk about Melissa Kim, who cares. She left DCPS and Deal is NOT Wilson.

I agree. Building culture and community at a big, diverse school is hard. I guess the best we can hope for is that DCPS finds a principal who respects the importance of what Cahall created and builds on it while also improving academics (to the extent that's possible).

"...while also improving academics (to the extend that is possible)".

That seems like pretty low -- certainly mediocre -- expectations for DCPS' flagship high school. guess it depends on your priorities. If I had to choose, I would put more emphasis on making solid, rigorous academic improvement over spending time stroking a “diverse culture” at the school. After all, top notch academics should be Job 1 at any school, especially at the high school level.

We'll have to agree to disagree. You can't make a school great academically if kids don't like being there. I also think academic success is defined very narrowly by DCPS and many on this board; if you're looking at test scores as the primary indicator, I don't think Wilson will ever be "great." What about graduation rate, college/trade school, especially among at-risk kids? That's far more indiciative of progress/success, in my eyes. (I have no idea how Cahall did or not affect those indicators, by the way.)

Yes, these are more important -- and easier to fudge. Graduation standards can be lowered, resulting in a higher graduation rate. Getting into college - especially a place like UDC that has open admissions - is very easy - just fill out and send in your application form. Staying in is not easy, and very few graduate. I recall a few years back, a guidance counselor boasting that all her applicants in an EOTP school had been accepted into college. She failed to say what college, but I can guess.

If a focus is put on graduation and post secondary education, let's be sure that administration at all levels is not gaming the system - to make themselves look good.

So are you saying that EOTP students couldn't possibly have gotten into colleges you've deemed worthy? Or that admission only to those colleges is worth being proud of?

No, I'm saying what I said. When 100% of applicants get into college from a school with low reading and math scores it's a good guess that some of the acceptances were to an open admissions school. The only one I know of in DC is UDC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And now Jay Matthews has weighed in. Basically he rehashed Cahall's letter. A couple of weeks ago, he all but outright accused charters of rigging the admissions lotteries based on some disgruntled Wilson teacher's theory. I'm sensing a trend here. If you're a disgruntled Wilson staff member, Jay Maththews will give you a platform.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/firing-this-dc-principal-makes-no-sense/2014/12/21/edca24a2-8709-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.html?hpid=z4

Funny, the pattern I see is that Jay Mathews is looking for juicy stories that will attract attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And now Jay Matthews has weighed in. Basically he rehashed Cahall's letter. A couple of weeks ago, he all but outright accused charters of rigging the admissions lotteries based on some disgruntled Wilson teacher's theory. I'm sensing a trend here. If you're a disgruntled Wilson staff member, Jay Maththews will give you a platform.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/firing-this-dc-principal-makes-no-sense/2014/12/21/edca24a2-8709-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.html?hpid=z4

Except Mathews didn't mention Cahall's letter -- something that, unlike the things he did mention, would make Cahall look bad.

Mathews emphasized that Cahall increased the number of kids taking AP exams.Mathews is a big proponent of increased AP participation. He doesn't mention if the kids' scores on the exams have gone up.

[Anonymous]

20:20 -- whoa!!! Wait a second!! Jay Matthews has been on the side of Rhee/Fenty/Kaya from the get-go. If anything Jay Matthews is breaking from his pattern of agreeing with most tough decisions made by the Chancellor. Of course it is a "juicy" story, because if all were revealed it will likely embarrass DCPS admin. and the WTU. It's also an important story because it is as bone-headed as their decision to have Walls principal Trogish leave the flagship campus to report to the affluent backers of the renewed Francis K-8. Trogish was once a trail blazer and stood up to admin -- once he backed off and started barking like a trained dog he became a hero to admin but not to any Walls families or alum. Cahall bit back and this spine and righteousness speaks to strength of his character more than anything. If he remains at Wilson he would probably ferociously continue the school on its obvious upward trend.

[Anonymous]

13:19 - I doubt Cahall is being let go because of a toxic relationship with staff. I'm a former SWW parent and it was a pretty toxic relationship there between the principal and his staff, but the scores are high because the kids test in, so DCPS thinks Trogisch is great.
I'm a relatively new parent at Wilson so can't comment about Cahall's performance but I don't think anyone will have an easy time closing the achievement gap at Wilson, and I would hate to see the school churn through principals if test scores are the ultimate measure of success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:20:20 -- whoa!!! Wait a second!! Jay Matthews has been on the side of Rhee/Fenty/Kaya from the get-go. If anything Jay Matthews is breaking from his pattern of agreeing with most tough decisions made by the Chancellor. Of course it is a "juicy" story, because if all were revealed it will likely embarrass DCPS admin. and the WTU. It's also an important story because it is as bone-headed as their decision to have Walls principal Trogish leave the flagship campus to report to the affluent backers of the renewed Francis K-8. Trogish was once a trail blazer and stood up to admin -- once he backed off and started barking like a trained dog he became a hero to admin but not to any Walls families or alum. Cahall bit back and this spine and righteousness speaks to strength of his character more than anything. If he remains at Wilson he would probably ferociously continue the school on its obvious upward trend.

Not really -- he supported exposing the cheating scandal.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:20:20 -- whoa!!! Wait a second!! Jay Matthews has been on the side of Rhee/Fenty/Kaya from the get-go. If anything Jay Matthews is breaking from his pattern of agreeing with most tough decisions made by the Chancellor. Of course it is a "juicy" story, because if all were revealed it will likely embarrass DCPS admin. and the WTU. It's also an important story because it is as bone-headed as their decision to have Walls principal Trogish leave the flagship campus to report to the affluent backers of the renewed Francis K-8. Trogish was once a trail blazer and stood up to admin -- once he backed off and started barking like a trained dog he became a hero to admin but not to any Walls families or alum. Cahall bit back and this spine and righteousness speaks to strength of his character more than anything. If he remains at Wilson he would probably ferociously continue the school on its obvious upward trend.

Not really -- he supported exposing the cheating scandal.

His wife was one of the authors of the article about Atlanta that got the ball rolling on the topic.

[Anonymous]

Not feeling too badly for Cahall after reading about his firing of the popular, effective singing science teacher, Eric(?) Siebens, whose firing resulted in petitions.

This is nothing but a visit from Karma whose been on her way to see him since he controversially had the Martel teacher transferred.

Cahall, what goes around comes around. Be careful how you treat people in your next position.